-  Hwon Kingdom -
    The atmosphere in the palace is as busy as usual. There is a young woman who has a long silver sparkling hair doing some laundry. She just finished her work and takes the dry laundry to put it on the basket. She smiles as a soft wind blows towards her face, her beautiful faces looks radiant under the sun light.
   Lyn takes her usual path to go to her room after she finished her work timidly. Even though its been a while since she live in the Hwon's palace, but she still feel awkward with the surronding. There are rarely people who talk to her. People tend to see her as an invisible air whenever she is around. They tend to ignore her present. Even so, when she already passing, they would talk behind her back about the rumor about her as the king secret lover even though she could clearly hear it. But once she turn around to looking to people who talk about her, they would pretend that nothing has happen.
    Today, as usual, when she came across paths with another maid, those who were conversing cheerfully with each other fell silent when Lyn appeared. It's nothing new for her, yet their stare appears colder. Lyn is attempting not to absorb their vile gesture into her heart and continues going. But, as she walked in front of them, one of the maids abruptly spread out her legs and tackled the silver-haired young woman. Lyn, unable to maintain her balance, falls to the ground with a thump.
    She assumed it was the last of the mistreatment she received from the maid, but they didn't stop there. Before she can even lift her head, the other maid pours the nasty water from the bucket upon her head. They soon sneered at the poor Lyn, who was at a loss for words.
     A maid grabbed Lyn's hair and yelled, "How dare a lowly werewolf like you roaming around in the palace."
    Lyn can definitely see the anger in their eyes; they had never looked at her with a kind stare before, but their icy and bitter glare today is so unlike their typical self. She suddenly realizes that her comments have the potential to instill hatred in their hearts.
   "What... did you say?" Lyn inquires, perplexed.
    "You scumbag werewolf! Killer! Get lost," the maid said, pushing Lyn's head back and forcing the young woman to kiss the ground.
  They did, in fact, discover her true nature as a werewolf. But how did they find out about it? Lyn's true identity should be kept hidden from everyone but her, the king, and the queen. Why are people now aware of it? It's reasonable that they'd detest her much more after learning the truth about her heritage, which is why she's been so cautious to keep it hidden.
   Lyn's maltreatment did not end there; she now encountered people who mistreated her wherever she went. The rumor about her being a werewolf has spread like wildfire throughout the palace. So, even if some people do not treat her violently, everyone would curse her or give her a cold stare. It frightened the young woman. 
    She is always subjected to violence and terrible treatment anytime humans discover her actual nature, even when she accomplishes nothing. After living quietly in the palace, she felt she could finally escape from all of the misery and suffering. But now, everyone here has discovered her secret and is torturing her once more. What exactly did she do wrong? She had now shut herself in her room and was weeping herself to wind down.
  Meanwhile, the queen is in her office working on a document. She is preparing for the major event that is held once every few years in the kingdom. Hwon kingdom, as the largest kingdom on this planet, has always hosted a camaraderie competition and invited other kingdoms to meet together to strengthen their bonds. The ceremony would last approximately two weeks and would culminate in a magnificent feast to commemorate the occasion.
   This event would not only strengthen the kingdom's bond, but it would also be an opportunity for everyone to work together and support those in need. It is such a great occasion that the queen is kept quite busy with preparations.
 "Did the invitation go out well?" Siera inquires about the status of their guest list with Catelyn.
   "Yes, my queen, as is customary, King Zaltarish of Sung kingdom may be unable to attend the event directly and will send the crown prince in his place.King Eros of Dam kingdom would attend with the new queen," Catelyn paused before continuing.
   "Why are you stopping?" the queen inquires.
    "It's just that I assumed King Eros would never marry. He is truly committed to you, even after you have been married for a long time." Catelyn expresses her honest opinion.
   Siera laughs at her remark. It's been a while since she heard anything regarding her ex-fiance's name or his current whereabouts. Even after their separation, Eros has kept the post of his queen vacant, focusing solely on rebuilding and strengthening his kingdom without a companion. It appears that the nobility have finally persuaded him to accept a queen for the sake of the kingdom's future. Siera is delighted to hear that.
   "We've become close friends. Don't say that, it could lead to misunderstandings about our relationship, you know," the queen told her secretary. Catelyn understandably nods.
 "How about the province of Yung? It would be fantastic if they could finally join us after what happened," Siera says, concerned about the well-being of the newly built country.
   Yung realm had previously lost all of its royal descendants and many more victims as a result of Binju's final onslaught. But, thankfully, some of Yung's residents were able to flee and shelter from the attack. The other kingdom had helped the remaining civilians of Yung's kingdom and offered them a place to reside in their kingdom. They, however, refuse to leave their country since they adore their homeland. As a result, they begin to rebuild their country in the absence of a royal dynasty.
   Nobles and commoners work together to create their country while obtaining assistance from the other three kingdoms to support their lives. They pick a leader from among themselves based on compatibility and live without a monarchy. Despite their gratitude to the three kingdoms, they never attend the camaraderie competition since they are still focused on constructing their country first.
    "Yes, the leader of Yung province will attend this year's event." "Their letter arrived this morning," stated the secretary.
    "Really? This would be fantastic news for Gwi. He is constantly concerned about them." Siera's face brightened as she considered her husband's response. Perhaps the news regarding Yung province would brighten the king's spirits after coping with so much sadness in their realm recently.
  Catelyn also smiles in response to the queen's upbeat disposition. She is fully aware that the two of them's relationship is not as happy as it once was after all of the tragedies that kept happening and tearing them apart. Catelyn was truly relieved a week ago when she found the king emerged and sought for the queen in the middle of the night.
    The king, on the other hand, did not stay until the morning and emerged from Siera's chamber with such a sour face. The secretary is concerned. Especially when the king and queen are both so busy that they haven't seen each other in a week. So she believes that everything is okay with them after seeing the queen's pleasant grin when she mentioned the king. But her grin fades as she recalls the reason she came to report to the queen today.
   "But your Majesty... there is another thing I want to report to you," Catelyn grows serious, and Siera has a horrible feeling about it. The queen simply sits there waiting for her to finish her report.
   "There's a rumor going around the palace that Lyn is a werewolf." The secretary mentioned the news with care, waiting for the queen's response.
   "Your Majesty, the King has Arrived," says a voice from the outside, announcing Gwi's arrival. Gwi quickly opened the door without waiting for the queen's response.
   Catelyn detects wrath in the king's gaze, and he appears stiff. The queen, on the other hand, is expressionless and stares solemnly at the king. The queen appears to be analyzing Gwi's countenance and attempting to find out why he has come to meet her in that state.
  "Leave us alone," the monarch ordered, issuing an order for everyone to depart. Catelyn remains silent and retreats gently. She shut the door to give the two married people some alone time to converse.
   "Why did you do that?" Gwi inquires coldly of his wife. He is still standing in the same spot.
   "What exactly do you mean?" Siera is still seated at her desk, staring at him. She can deduce the cause for the king's abrupt appearance there while enraged at her from his gesture, but she still hopes that her supposition is incorrect.
  "Didn't you say you'd keep Lyn's identity a secret? So, why is everyone aware of this now?" Finally, the king reveals his reasoning. Siera sighs after hearing him. Unfortunately, she was correct. Gwi has come to see her for Lyn's sake.
   "It is not my fault. I just found out about it now," she attempts to explain.
    There is a brief quiet between them during which no one speaks. Gwi studies her expression, but he has no idea what's going on in her head or heart. She's really skilled at keeping a straight face.
   "You keep disappointing me, Siera," the king says tremblingly. The queen can obviously see a pained expression on his face, which causes her to frown. How could he say such a thing while seeming so upset because she had deceived him? 
  "We discovered that the first person to spread the rumor about Lyn was a maid from the queen's residence. Is that just a coincidence? I attempt to trust you at first because I feel you will maintain your promise to me. But it's difficult to believe you right now. What made you do that? Do you despise Lyn so much?" Gwi has no idea why Siera would do something like this. He can't believe she's the mastermind behind this operation, yet every evidence points to her.
   "So you're going to take her side and blame it on me now?" Siera, on the other hand, can't believe the king would blame her so easily. Even with all of the evidence pointing to her, shouldn't he at least question her about it before concluding that she is guilty?
   "Is that all you've got to say? Siera, I've been watching you grow up and I'm aware that you've always had a competitive side that can't be beat. After all that transpired, I believed you matured well and began to develop a tender spot in your heart. I genuinely hope so, and I'm delighted you're starting to care about others. But it appears that a part of you has not yet transformed. You can still do whatever to get rid of something that isn't in your favor. I thought you'd changed." Every word he says breaks her heart.
    He is correct; she has always been competitive. She used to despise her own brother because of her ambition, but that was all in the past. How could he still talk about her like that?
   "It's too disappointing," Gwi said as he turned around. He left Siera in her office alone.